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18,000 children die daily from hunger
It is "a terrible indictment of the world in 2007" that 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition, and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, the head of the UN food agency said on Friday.
- AP
- Published: 00:00 February 18, 2007
United Nations: It is "a terrible indictment of the world in 2007" that 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition, and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, the head of the UN food agency said on Friday.
James Morris called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger - especially among children.
"Addressing the hunger issue is the most powerful way to break the poverty cycle," he said in an interview. "We all simply have to do more."
"The little girl in Malawi who's fed, and goes to school: 50 per cent less likely to be HIV-positive, 50 per cent less likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby. Everything about her life changes for the better and it's the most important, significant, humanitarian, political, or economic investment the world can make in its future," he said.
Forefront
Morris, an American businessman and former foundation president, is stepping down as the Rome-based World Food Programme's executive director in April after five years in the forefront of helping victims of conflicts, natural disasters and poverty.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organisation, reaching close to 100 million people in more than 80 countries every year with life-sustaining food and other assistance. As he prepares to leave, Morris said the two issues of greatest concern are the increasing number of impoverished people and the "very significant, growing number of natural disasters around the world".
According to the World Bank, he said, natural disasters have increased fourfold over the last 30 years, meaning several billion people need instant help over the course of a decade because of disasters like the tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake or drought in southern Africa. The response to these disasters and conflicts like Darfur and Lebanon has meant that most development aid has been used to save lives.
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